There were a couple of typos and the ending was a bit rushed (I guess due to the word limit for the contest) but it was hands down better than my own submission for the Baen award and the best fantasy short I’ve read in quite some time. I salute you. If “The Golden Knight” lands you a novel deal (it should), I’ll definitely be buying and advertising your work.

Great storytelling! That’s hard to do in a short story.
Also, you’re conveying a lot of character in a few words for many of the characters. You seem to have the finely nuanced art of projected possibility down to a T.

I’m curious about what will happen next to several of the characters, which is really unusual after one short. Hats off.

Do you have any other stories somewhere?

I found this site via Baen’s free library. I didn’t participate in the contest and I don’t know you (who are ‘we’, or is that the royal plural? 😉 ), I’m just a reader.

So I just finished “The Golden Knight” and I am on the internet looking for more. It would seem that there is a lot more story before the tavern and then after the tournament. Hope you won’t keep us hanging for long…